Anthony's Film Review - Joy Ride (2023)

A raunchy comedy like other raunchy comedies, yet unique because of its cultural twist...

I like to define a raunchy comedy as one that contains plenty of explicit humor related to alcohol, sex, drugs, bodily fluids, and/or other things that are gross or highly objectionable to the sensibilities of the average person. There are plenty of movies that fit this description to varying degrees, like Scary Movie and The Interview, just to name a few examples that immediately come to mind. You may notice that most of these kinds of movies involve one particular demographic: white men, especially if they are college-aged. Is it possible to do a raunchy comedy with characters of other racial backgrounds? Absolutely.

For example, Joy Ride is a raunchy comedy about four young Asian American women. Audrey Sullivan (played by Ashley Park) is a China-born lawyer adopted by American parents. Lolo Chen (played by Sherry Cola) is Audrey's best friend since childhood. Kat (played by Stephanie Hsu) is a friend of Audrey who now works as an actress in China's film industry. Then there's Deadeye (played by Sabrina Wu) who is Kat's weird cousin with a deadeye stare. All four come together when Audrey goes to China for a business trip, Lolo tags along, and the other two join them. You would think that these four characters are quite innocent based on these descriptions I just gave. Well, you'd be in for a surprise.

The beginning of the movie already hints at how far the humor goes. Watch as a white kid on a playground gets taught a humiliating lesson after making a racist remark in front of little Audrey and Lolo. Then you have a few scenes where the dialogue between Audrey and some white male colleagues at work touch on Asian stereotypes, with the latter trying so hard to not offend Audrey. That stereotype humor is only temporary, because it's all put aside once the four main characters are in Beijing, China. They get to be themselves. However, plenty of the raunchiness with this comedy still comes from the characters' free spirits and foul mouths, especially with Lolo whom I swear is a porn addict.

There are two goals for Audrey while she is there. One is to close an important business deal with a businessman played by Ronny Chieng. The other is for Audrey to find out who her birth mother is, having grown up as an American adoptee. Unfortunately, a series of complications hinder both of them, and yes, this is where the raunchy comedy comes in. Alcohol, sex, and drugs, as well as bodily fluids in one scene, throw the women off course in funny ways. One notable example: getting into the same train compartment as an American woman who turns out to be a drug dealer, with authorities looking for her.

Ultimately, however, this movie is a heartwarming drama about friendship, family, and discovering oneself. The raunchy humor is a large part of the movie, but it's merely a supplement to the drama that it eventually becomes. The way I see it, the comedy serves as comic relief during the journey. Yes, the comedy is associated with things that make the journey harder than it should, but then again, don't journeys in life tend to wind in random directions? Anyway, the last part of the movie is worth waiting for in terms of emotional impact. It's appropriate after everything that has happened.

This is one of those movies where I have to determine my overall rating for it based on individual ratings for each of the movie's major segments, then averaging them. The first third of it is essentially dirty jokes just for the sake of throwing them out, so I rate that part a 6 out of 10. The next third gets better with more raunchy comedy while coming to appreciate the characters, and I give that a 7. The last third is the best part of the whole thing, and it's a high 7 that almost reaches an 8. Averaging it all out, I give this whole movie a 7 out of 10. It's a wonderful mix of gross comedy, heartfelt drama, and flawed but lovable characters. Joy Ride is a fun and comical ride.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Joy Ride, visit the Internet Movie Database.